Improved track-laying- vehicle



' the other set of segments, when that co @W e gw tant @met i 1. lmvx a.

MM@ W www CHARLES DE DAMSEAUX, or NEWEYORK, N.'Y.

Lette/rs Patent No. 85,569, dated Janna/ry 5,' 1869.

IMPROVED TRACK-LAYING VEHICLE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it mwy concern Be it known that I, CHARLES DE DAMSEAUX, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a )u new and useful Improvement in Vehicles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and ex act description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. forming'paxt of this specification, in which'- v y Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved vehicle.

Figure 2 is a detail Qplan gr top view ofthe same.

Figurel 3 is a vertical transverse section of the same, takenbn the plane of the line a: x, iig. l

Similar' letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a new manner of arranging the'wheels of cars and wagons, and of connecting them with sliding rails, so that therails will be auto-4 matically placed below the wheels as' the vehicle progresses in either direction.

The invention consists in the use of segmental wheels, arranged side by side in such a manner that a certain numberA of segments serve to make up a whole wheel.

In connection with these wheels are arranged sliding rails, which are at both their ends secured to weighted chains or ropes, andwhich lie on the ground to form the treadingsurfaces for the wheels.

Two or more wheels are arranged on each side ofl a vehicle, and a rail is arranged under cach lateral vset of segments. As the vehicle advances, one such set of segments rests upon its rail, and moves thereon, while the other rail is free, and is, by its system of. chains, pulled forward into position, so as be under ences to roll and to support the vehicle. y

When the second set of segments gets into action, the iirst set looses'its contact with its rail, and the rst rail is thus liberated, and is drawn forward, ready to receive and sustain its segments, when they come into action again.

By this system of wheels and rails a selltrack-laying vehicle is produced, which will be found convenient for many purposes where railroads are now used. l

A, in the drawing, represents the box or frame of a wagon or car, of snit-able size and description.

4On each side of the same are mounted or hung, on

Asuitable axles, B B, two or more wheels, C O, each wheel consisting of two or more segments, a b, the combined arches of which,`in one wheel, making up the whole periphery of the wheel.

In the drawing, the wheels are represented as consisting each of four segments, a a and b 11, each a quadrant of the whole wheel.

The two opposite segments, a, a, are set nearer to the body 'of the wagon than the other two segments, b b, the outer surface of the segments c being either in line with or at a distance from the inner surface of the. outer segments, bd, as indicated in g. 3.

D D are the sliding rails. Ihey'are made of sheetmetal or other suitable material, as wide as or wider than the treading-edges of the segments. One rail is arranged below eac'h set of segments. Thus, therail D is under the segments a. of all the wheels on one side of the vehicle, while the rail D is under the'segments '7) of the same set of wheels.

Each rail is at both ends connected with a' system of chains, E E, which pass over pulleys c c, fitted on the side of the vehicle, and which are kept tense by means of a weight or weights, F, as shown.'

The various wheels on one side of the vehiclemay he connected by means of a rod, G, for the purpose of obtaining uniform motion.

As the vehicle is moved brward,.one set of segments is on its rail, while the other set is not in contact with its rail, and the free rail is, by the weight F, drawn forward. Thus, in iig.,l, the segments u ,are on their rail-D, while the segments b leave the rail D free to be set. As soon as the segmentsa leave their rail, the segments b reach theirs, and Dis then set, by the weight, to keep pace with the moving vehicle. As long as the segments are incontactwith a rail, such rail is held at rest, and is only moved forward when it is liberated again.

By properly arranging the chain-work, the rails will be drawn forward in whatever direction the vehicle may move. This object is, for example, attained by arrow .in fig. l, the weightwill come always n earer to the rear end of D, and the chain will be s lackened behind I) and in front of D', the slack being removed by the weight drawing the rail D' forward. If the vehicle would move in the opposite direction, the then rear pulleys c will move towards the tlien fi'ont end of D, and will thereby serve to slacken the chains in .rear of D, and cause the consequent forward motion of D. Thus, by using the system of crossed chains, the chains conneet-ing the rear end of the xed rail with the front end of the loose rail will always be acted upon by the weight, to draw forward' the loose rail, in whatever direction the vehicle may move.

Having thus described my invention, `What I claim as new, 'and'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The wheels composed each of two sets of segments, u b, so arranged .as to form a double tread, adapted for use with the moving rails D D' substantially as herein shown and described for the purposespecified.

2. The sliding rails D D', when arranged under and in combination with the segmental wheels C of a vehicle, substantially as herein shown and' described.

3. The rails D D', when connected, by a system of chains or ropes,'E E, with the body of the vehicle, when such vehicle is provided with segmental wheels O C, substantially as set forth.

OH. DE DAMSEAUX.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MCNAMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

